As he sat there in the dirty, stinking, cell with his back against the cold wall, Joseph had every reason to be miserable.

Sold by his brothers as a slave into a foreign land, he’d risen to “top slave” in Potiphar’s house. He’d been responsible and in charge of his master’s possessions. And what was his reward? Because of his purity and respect for both his God and his master, he’d been thrown into prison, all because he wouldn’t sleep with Potiphar’s wife. She’d taken her revenge for his refusal, seeing to it that he would rot in jail.

Yes, Joseph had every reason to be downcast, depressed, and disheartened.

But then there’s this sentence, sitting right there, in the dark with Joseph:

“But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison” (Genesis 39:21, ESV).

I wonder how Joseph felt that steadfast love. There were no Bibles in his day. Was it through prayer? A voice? A feeling?

God didn’t show Joseph love by rescuing him or changing his circumstances. Oh, we know Joseph eventually gets out, but Joseph didn’t know that was in his future. Joseph was in prison for over two years, that much we know for sure. And somehow, in the dark of prison, God was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love.

The phrase steadfast love in Hebrew is hesed. It is a word that has no exact parallels in English. It is also often rendered as “loving-kindness” in many translations.

I have to admit this verse took me by surprise the other morning when I read it. It was almost shocking.

When circumstances have turned for the worse in my life—whether it’s been my parents separating or my husband losing his job—I’m tempted to ask God “why me?” I want out. I wonder if God’s punishing me for doing something wrong.

But here’s what Joseph’s story teaches me: I can be smack in the center of God’s plan for my life and experience His love in the midst of dark, hard, confusing, and seemingly hopeless circumstances.

God was building character in Joseph during all those hard years. He was making him into the man he needed to be once he was released and would become one of Egypt’s most powerful men.

And so, when I face hard times and uncertainty, I want to open myself up to God. I want to ask, what character does God want to build in me? And I want to experience God’s precious steadfast love in the midst of whatever dark, dirty, and stinky circumstances that come my way.

This was such a thought provoking post. It is in the times of turmoil and darkness that we need to feel His “steadfast love” the most. Now that I look back on some of my hardest and darkest times, I see that God was building something within me for the next leg of my journey. Bless you for this post.

This is such an encouraging reminder that I don’t need to feel lost and hopeless in my dark times as I used to do. There are times I have no sense of hope and feel like a lost bundle. But even there, I can count on God’s love; even in that dark. Thank you very much and remain blessed

This was so timely. A friend and I were discussing trials this morning walking and Gods timing and how looking back we can see His perfect love in allowing us to go through things that make us more compassionate and seasoned and ready to face what he has called us to in the future. Thanks for your words of encouragement Danielle.

Such a meaningful post! Thank you, Danielle. As I read, an image came to mind of fireflies in the dark. The soft glimmer, blinking here and there, reminds me: the steadfast love and favor of God glimmers here and there in all circumstances. Sometimes its an encouraging word from a friend, a Bible verse that speaks directly to our situation, or an unexpected “God-incident” that minister to our hearts. We have to keep alert, though, or we’ll miss the blessings!

“But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison” (Genesis 39:21, ESV). It is amazing how one can read something several times over and miss something.

I feel like I’m in a semi dark place with my job right now, but your post and the encouraging verse just lifted me up. It has me thinking what is God preparing me for–what better thing does He have in store for me.

That is so neat. I love the thought of the love we can find in the dark of out lives. It’s often in the dark that I find some of the most precious times with God. I was leader in a prayer group the other weekend at our Bible School and we talked about how the hard times we go through are the times that we really grow and find realness with God. And how often when we aren’t going to something hard, we can almost be tempted to ask God for another trial just to find that closeness with him again! Thank you so my for the (in)couragement! I just love this blog. It’s blessed me so much.